Vol. XXXVIII No. 4
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
THURSDAY, September 22, 2011
Volleyball
duo earn
honors
from CIAA
-See Page HH
Author/
scholar
talks
religion
?See Page A3
Alumni
want to
honor
Martin
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Photos by Ttxid Luck
Larry Little instructs WSSU students about the
march they'll be participating in.
Students get
hands-on
lesson with
Davis case
BY TODD LUCK
I HE CHRONICLE
More than 1 10 local resi
dents joined thousands from
around the world in Atlanta
last rriuay tor a
march designed to
highlight the case
of death row inmate
Troy Davis.
Davis was con
victed of the 1989
murder of Mark
MacPhai), an off
duty Savannah. Ga.
police officer, but
many question the
evidence in the
case. Most of the
witnesses that
helped to convict
Davis have recanted
their stories. Some
of them now claim
that police and pros
ecutors leaned on
them to give damag
ing testimony; oth
ers have come for
ward. saying that
anotner man contesseu to
killing the officer. No mur
der weapon or physical evi
dence linking Davis to the
murder was found.
Davis was scheduled for
execution yesterday at 7
p.m., after The Chronicle's
press time. His execution is
slated a day after the Georgia
Board of Pardons and Paroles
denied his request forclemen
Michael
Stewart
cy. This is the fourth time
Davis" exeeution has been
scheduled. All of" his appeals
have been used up.
"It's a rough situation,
but we think it cries out for
justice. said
Larry Little, a
Winston-Salem
State University
professor.
Little talked
about the case in
his class and
many of his stu
dents went with
him to last
week's march.
Little is best
known for his
work to free
Darryl Hunt, a
local man who
spent nearly 20
years in prison
for a murder he
didn't commit.
Hunt, who now
heads the Darryl
Hunt Project for
Freedom and
Justice, and many of those
who worked to free him -
including local pastors Dr.
Carlton Eversley and Dr.
John Mendez - were among
the locals who boarded buses
at Emmanuel Baptist Church
early Friday to travel to
Georgia.
It wasn't their first time
See Davis on A6
Photo by Lay la Farmer
S uperintendent Benila Witherspoon stands in front of the Forsyth Correctional Center.
Male prison gets female Super
Benita Witherspoon is a veteran Correction official
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
City native Benita Witherspoon
began plotting her career in the NC
Department of Correction (DOC) at an
early age. Inspired by the cop-centered
television dramas she watched as a child
with her father, but turned off by the
notion of toting a firearm. Witherspoon
set her sights on corrections.
"It's just something I've always
wanted to do," said the 43-year-old.
who spent much of her childhood in
nearby Davidson County. "My mother,
she always told us we could be what we
wanted to be and do what we wanted to
do."
Witherspoon. who was recently
named superintendent of Forsyth
Correctional Center, says people are
often surprised to learn what she does
for a living.
"They're shocked. They think I'm
too girly." related the UNC-Charlotte
alumna. "...A lot of people say 'Ooh,
1 can't believe you work in a prison,'
but this is what I went to school for,
and I take it very seriously."
Witherspoon has served the state
DOC for more than two decades, begin
ning as a program assistant in the
South Pietknont Office in Kannapolis
during her senior year at UNCC. Since
that time, Witherspoon, the eighth of
nine children, has risen through the
ranks. She achieved superintendent sta
tus four years ago, when she was named
leader of North Piedmont Correctional
Center for Women in Lexington. It
was the only time in Witherspoon 's
career that she had worked at a female
institution.
Witherspoon. who also holds a BS
in business administration from
Catawba College and a master's in edu
Sce Witherspoon on A10
' 1 1 shaping up to be Homecoming to remember
WSSl' Photo by Garrett Garm>
Ram Pride will be on full display next week.
Rams to begin celebrations Monday
BY I.AYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Rams pride will be in full effect next week as alumni,
students and staff at Winston-Salem
State University celebrate
Homecoming festivities.
The historically black school,
which began as Slater Academy in
1892, will honor long-standing tradi
tions and embrace new approaches dur
ing the week of activities slated for
Sept. 25-Oct. 1, said Chancellor
Donald Reaves.
"Homecoming provides us with a
wonderful opportunity to celebrate the
heritage of Winston-Salem State and
Broussard
to create excitement about our present and our future," said
the chancellor, who is embarking on his fifth
Homecoming celebration at WSSU's helm. "1 really like
See Homecoming on AS
Trailblazing school turns 20-years-old
Photo by Layla Farmer
Principal Janet Atkinson stands on the
third floor balcony of the new middle
school building.
BY L.AYLA FARMKR
THE CHRONICLE
When it was founded in 1991, the coneept of The Downtown School, a
designated magnet school that embraces concepts like multiple intelligences
anu open classroom settings, was a
little unorthodox in these parts.
"It started out as a pilot, and
you're not sure when you start some
thing as a pilot how long it'll be in
existence," said Principal Janet
Atkinson, a seasoned educator who
has helmed the school since 1997.
"For us to be here for 20 years is just
amazing."
The school will hold its 2()th
Birthday Celebration this Saturday.
With two decades now under their belts, there is much to celebrate, said
Charmon Bilker, a Downtown School parent who organized the Birthday
See School on A9
Longevity Medal
? ? ? I I
Photo by Layla Farmer f
S. Wayne Patterson recognizes his former neigh
bor Viola Jones with a medal commemorating
her more than 30 years of residency in Cleveland
Avenue Homes. The community held its first
ever reunion Saturday. Read more on Bl.
r
Spend it here.
Keep it here.
BUY LOCAL FIRST!
CHAMBER
A Mind For Business.